OSHKOSH - After a recent case of child abuse, experts say it's essential caregivers know how to diffuse their frustration with a child that won't stop crying.

Benjamin J. Seibel, 27, of Oshkosh, faces a charge of physical abuse of a child, recklessly causing great bodily harm after prosecutors say he shook and dropped a 10-week-old girl Sept. 15.

According to court documents, Seibel told police the baby's crying frustrated him, and he aggressively picked her up, shook her and dropped her into a crib, where she hit her head. The baby had brain, spine and mouth bleeding as well as bruising on her eyelid, court documents state. She also suffered seizures at the hospital.

Seibel told police he cares for six children, all under age 8, and he recently lost his job, so he was feeling stressed, according to court documents.

Sometimes known as “shaken baby syndrome,” the medical community says abusive head trauma is highly damaging to young brains. Of the 22 Wisconsin children that died in 2016 from abuse or neglect, 18 of them were aged two and under, according to Child Protective Services data.

Frustration, anger and feelings of inadequacy are common among caregivers who give their children abusive head trauma, said Dr. Lynn Sheets, a child abuse expert who also serves as a professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and medical director of the child abuse program at Children’s Hospital.

Sheets said the hospital sees cases of abusive head trauma most commonly among infants who were crying.

About 20 percent of children who are shaken (or slammed, or thrown, Sheets points out) die from the brain injuries, she said. And about 25 to 30 percent of children will have severe disabilities. But 100 percent — every children who experiences abusive head trauma — will have brain injuries.

Learning disabilities or vision problems are some of the most mild effects of shaking a baby, the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome reports. But severe effects include:

Blindness

Paralysis

Cerebral palsy

Seizure disorders

Other profound cognitive and physical disabilities

“It’s always there,” Sheets said of the effects of abusive head trauma. “It’s why we work so hard to prevent it.”

A big part of preventing parents from shaking their babies is spreading the word about why babies may cry incessantly. It’s totally normal, Sheets said. When babies cry, it is a developmental milestone.

“Some babies cry relatively little, but some babies cry for no apparent reason for sometimes hours.”

It’s also essential to have strategies to calm down if a caregiver feels angry or frustrated with a crying baby. Don’t take it out on the child.

Sheets recommended a few tips for what frustrated caregivers can do:

Set the child down safely.

Walk away, step outside.

Call a friend or relative to talk.

Listen to music.

Also learn to notice signs of abuse in children. Unless an infant has a bleeding disorder, any child that is not yet learning to walk shouldn’t have bruises.

Children’s sees about 20 cases of abusive head trauma a year, but cases of broken bones and fractures from maltreatment are much more common, Sheets said. It’s key for doctors to identify these signs of abuse early.

“If you can catch it before it escalates to abusive head trauma, you’ve prevented something very serious from happening to the baby,” Sheets said.

Sheets estimates there are about 65 to 70 cases of abusive head trauma in Wisconsin each year. She recommends parents look at the Period of PURPLE Crying program, which explains crying and gives parents resources to cope.